


you are the moon and the stars and all they gaze upon

by callumsmitchells



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Bonfire Night, Fluff, M/M, basically i want cute family scenes so i'm writing them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:02:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27402436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/callumsmitchells/pseuds/callumsmitchells
Summary: A family moment shared between Callum, Ben and Lexi on Bonfire Night
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Kudos: 51





	you are the moon and the stars and all they gaze upon

**Author's Note:**

> yes there's a cliche line at the end but i couldn't NOT do it
> 
> tumblr: @callumsmitchells

It's pitch black and the wind a bitter cold, with the moon and the stars hanging in the sky brightly. Music surrounds them, a thumping bass coming from a few fairground rides whizzing around, neon lights illuminating them. There’s no doubt Lexi will try and force her way onto them, with her Mitchell ways, her dad entirely susceptible to her puppy dog eyes. There's stalls standing firm, selling sparklers and flashing toys. Callum walks ahead for just a moment, leaving Ben to watch him as he walks towards a stall, pointing in the direction of something and getting his wallet out. Lexi doesn't seem to notice the loss of Callum's hand holding her own, warming it up even more than her knitted gloves, because she can't take her eyes off the waltzer spinning around. 

"Daddy." She calls out, and Ben instantly knows what's coming. "Can we go on that?" 

"Maybe later." Ben says. "There's a big queue for it." There isn't, just a lot of people standing around, but Ben knows that Lexi would hate the waltzer, as much as she would no doubt claim otherwise.

Callum walks back then, one hand hiding behind his back, obscuring something. There's a beaming smile on his face, and it hasn't left all day, after finding out that the weather was scheduled to be perfect for a bonfire to be lit. "For madam." He says, finally letting Ben and Lexi see what he's been hiding behind his back all along - a bucket of blue and pink candyfloss. Lexi lights up, thanking Callum with a hug to his waist before she takes the bucket from his hand. 

Callum looks up at Ben, the never ending smile bright and beautiful and it makes Ben's heart soar just looking at him. Ben looks down at Callum's lips, and holds his hand out, closing it mid air before opening it up again. Callum hooks his hand in Ben's quickly, and Ben pulls, before releasing his hold on Callum's hand when they are standing just centimetres apart. He puts his hand on Callum's waist, and leans up on the tips of his toes to press a featherlight kiss to Callum's lips, staying in that position for a matter of seconds, before he falls back to the ground, his legs shaky from the intoxicating Callum. 

"If she's hyper tonight after that, you'll be the one dealing with her - not me." Ben loosely threatens, but it falls short of being remotely scary to Callum, because Ben's unrelentingly happy too. 

"Happily." Callum adamants, and there's something that goes unsaid about how easily Callum has been able to fall into the structure of family life, settling into something he's openly spoken to Ben about never having before. He's somehow found it easy, like it was meant to be. He loves the little family set up, that seems unconventional to outsiders, yet so perfect and meaningful to those who are in it. 

Lexi whines as she tries to open the bucket and fails, her knitted gloves hindering her grip on the slippery plastic. Ben takes it from her as they all start to walk again, heading closer and closer to the bonfire set up on the other side of the park, a stock of wood all piled up together in a bundle, a large gathering of Walford residents watching it before it's even lit up in flames. "You're not having all of this tonight." Ben says, holding the now open bucket out for Lexi to grab a handful of candyfloss. She does so, and holds it carefully in her hand, wanting to savour it. She walks in front of them, letting go of Ben's hand now whilst she's eating it, though she doesn't stray far, only two short strides in front of them. 

Callum stands closer to Ben, the knuckles of his fingers bumping with Ben's as they walk in time with one another. 

Ben looks up at him, and there's a shy smile shared between the two of them. "She wants to go on the waltzer." Ben admits. 

"What did I say?" Callum laughs, and he takes the opportunity to connect his fingers with Ben's, letting their hands warm up together. "Told you she'd want to go on it."

Ben lets out a soft chuckle, and temporarily leans his head on Callum's arm, leaving it to rest there for a few steps before he pulls back. Callum's right though, because that morning when he'd gone on his run, he'd seen the fairground rides being erected, and when he came back to the house all dripping in sweat, he'd told Ben that Lexi would no doubt ask to go on the waltzer. It makes Ben giddy, to know his boyfriend already knows his daughter that well. "You did, yeah." Ben smiles. "Do you fancy some hot chocolate?"

Callum looks at Ben as he nods to a stall, not far away from where they're standing. They've finally reached the other side of the park, standing in a crowd of people as they await the lighting of the bonfire. "Go on then." Callum nods. 

Ben peels away from Callum's touch and half bends down to speak to Lexi, who's looking at the pile of wood through the gaps between people in the crowd. "Do you want some hot chocolate darling?" He asks. 

Lexi looks up at him with a beaming grin on her face and Ben tries not to laugh at the crystalised candyfloss that's stuck to her cheek. "Yes please daddy!" 

Ben walks away for a few minutes, and the fire starts to light up, slowly at first as the flames flicker onto another piece of wood, letting that piece burn before moving onto another piece, gradually going further and further up the pile until it completely burns. Lexi watches it silently as she finishes off her portion of candyfloss, and Ben joins back soon enough, passing one cup over to Callum, and holding onto the two others, letting one cool down slightly before he hands it to Lexi. He wraps his arm around Callum's waist for a moment, falling into a warm hug, until Lexi turns around. 

"I can't see it." She says. "And the fireworks are starting soon. Callum please can I go on your shoulders, _please_?" 

Callum looks at Ben and there's a gentle smile shared between the two of them. "Go on then." Callum chuckles and he crouches down so his knees are nearly on the floor. 

Ben half picks Lexi up, letting her sit on Callum's shoulders before he slowly stands up, holding onto her legs so she doesn't fall. "Do you want your hot chocolate now?" Ben asks. "It should be cooled down enough."

"Yes please!" She grins, but doesn't seem to look down, more focusing on the fire that she can now see in its entirety. 

Ben picks up the hot chocolate and raises it until it's perfectly in Lexi's hand. "Please don't drop all down both of you." He says.

Just as Lexi stops squirming and Ben steps away from guarding Lexi if she does end up falling backwards, the fireworks crackle into life. There's a rumbling and then a whizzing as they shoot off up into the night sky, practically invisible to the eye until they explode into different neon colours scattering all over the opaqueness of the atmosphere, before eventually fizzing away into nothingness, allowing the next firework to take the centre stage, a new colour and shape now. 

Lexi watches them completely mesmerised, unable to tear her eyes away from the exploding fireworks high up above her until there's a momentary pause whilst the people in charge of the fireworks safely set some more up. She looks down at Ben, who's taking a sip of his hot chocolate. "Daddy." she says, and there's a giggle in her voice that instantly makes both Ben and Callum smile. "I'm taller than you!" 

Ben chuckles softly and smiles up at his daughter. "Looks like you are, princess."

Lexi accepts that and giggles as she drinks her hot chocolate carefully, watching as the fireworks burst in the night, lighting up the sky in different shades of pink and blue and yellow, fiery lines in amongst the stars. 

Ben turns away when Lexi does, and watches the sky alongside her. A soft flush of pink creeps up from his neck to his cheeks, staining them with the temporary cherry blossom shade. 

Callum lets out a gentle chuckle, watching Ben as he attempts to hide his flush. 

"What?" Ben asks, draining the final sips of his hot chocolate. 

"Nothing." Callum says. "You just look cute when you blush."

Ben scoffs out a laugh, but secretly he knows he's been caught. "I'm not blushing." He adamants. "It's just freezing."

Callum hums. "Sure." He says, nodding with a daft grin on his face. "Come here." 

Ben raises an eyebrow for a moment, silently questioning Callum, who's looking at him with a beaming grin. Ben reciprocates the grin, and leans forward to kiss Callum. It's only gentle, a soft press of lips against lips yet it's full of heat and warmth and explosions to rival the fireworks above them.


End file.
